OSU Pro Day: Former Cowboys linebacker Shaun Lewis ready to make an impression

STILLWATER — Shaun Lewis never received an invitation to the NFL Combine.

Still, he remained locked into the event, watching all he could, either live or recorded, focusing naturally on a certain group: his position, the linebackers.

Oklahoma State linebacker Shaun Lewis talks to reporters during an NCAA college football game news conference Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, in Irving, Texas. Oklahoma State plays Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on Friday. (AP Photo/Tim Sharp)

“Watching the competition,” Lewis said. “Really, when you get overlooked, you kind of sit back and take notes about what the other guys had that you don’t have. I really looked at that a lot. Watching that helped fuel some of my workouts.”

As Lewis watched, he felt more and more that his skills matched what he was seeing.

“And actually I played with some of those guys, so you already know that,” Lewis said. “But at the end of the day, I just have to go out and control what I can control. It mostly influenced my effort and my tenacity that I worked out with.”

Lewis so far hasn’t garnered much love from NFL talent evaluators, ranking well down the list of available outside linebackers. Yet there’s still opportunity to make an impression, most notably Thursday, when Oklahoma State holds its Pro Day, beginning with work in the weight room before moving to the indoor facility.

As many as 30 former Cowboys are expected to participate in the workout; a large number that’s the byproduct of OSU’s 28-man senior class and Josh Stewart’s early exit as a junior. Stewart and Justin Gilbert were the only Cowboys asked to Indianapolis.

For the others who were not extended a Combine invite, including Lewis, it’s a big day, with football futures hanging in the balance.

“It means a lot,” Lewis said. “It gives me a chance to showcase my ability and my ability to move around and how athletic I am and how I compete out there. It means a ton.

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by John Helsley

OSU Reporter Sr.

John Helsley grew up in Del City, reading all the newspapers and sports magazines he could get his hands on. And Saturday afternoons, when the Major League Game of the Week was on, he'd keep a scorecard for the game. So the sports appeal was was...